Thinking about Thanksgiving ... and CATS!

Every day, when I look down and see my three "boys" at their food bowls in the kitchen, I am grateful for them. Their antics are always entertaining and I feel very lucky that Little has been with us for 21 years. He will be 22 in January of 2010 ... amazing!

Here's Little wondering what this big pumpkin is doing in his chair



What IS this?



Denny celebrated Thanksgiving in the sun on the back patio.



Elvis' favorite thing about Thanksgiving was the grocery shopping ... he never let's a good bag go to waste!



Overseeing the business of the day at BrewerETC Marketing Group

Exhausted from watching ME work!

Thinking about Thanksgiving ... and Clients

I've done a great deal of "event work" this summer and fall and I'm grateful to have the skills, the contacts and especially to receive the opportunities to shift the focus of my business as the economy forced a number of clients away from traditional advertising.

I'm also grateful that we've completed our final Teddy Bear Clinic for 2009 and it was great fun for all who attended. This is Dr. Brown, a family medicine doc at the Kelsey-Seybold Clear Lake Clinic. Obviously, Dr. Brown is a good sport!

These are two members of the Wellness team who always staff my events. They are GREAT! The kids love them and they know their stuff!

Although this isn't a compelling photo, I had to include it because I am SO grateful for how this event turned out and the revenue generated for my not-for-profit client under challenging circumstances. Enough said.

Thinking About Thanksgiving ... and Squirrels

You've all seen my squirrel photos before, but these little guys are a thrill a minute for the cats. They come by once or twice a day to see if there's anything in their feeder. They're grateful for the food and we're grateful for the entertainment!

Thinking About Thanksgiving ... and VISION

I haven't posted in about 6 weeks because I've been so crazy busy ... and got the swine flu ... then went 1/2 blind ... and we won't even get into the rest of it. Anyway, my friend Kim Sanders threw out a "grattitude challenge" for us to identify at least one thing each day that we're grateful for and post it on FaceBook. Well, I didn't fare too well with that challenge, but I have so much to be grateful for I thought I would catch up by posting a few things near and dear to my heart that I have current photos of!

I am grateful for my new contact lens ... well, technically, I'm grateful for Dr. Yee identifying a solution to the double vision, after the new glasses didn't do the trick. Wish it didn't require wearing a HARD lens, but I'm still grateful. I've enjoyed almost perfect vision my entire life and suddenly had to deal with something that most people experience every day. Let me tell you, I have a renewed appreciation for clear vision and won't take it for granted in the future!

Swine Flu ... Day Five

So the first thing I should mention is that when you hear public officials and news anchors describe H1N1 as "just a mild version of the regular flu" you should realize they are COMPLETE IDIOTS.

That said, the first AND second times I experienced symptoms I would have said the same thing. Little did I know that these were just a prelude to the real deal ... third time's the charm, I guess.

I'll give a brief run-down in case any of you are curious. It started on Labor Day weekend, when I developed a strange aching side/stomach and low-grade fever that Sunday & Monday. I felt like a dog, but it was over quickly enough.

The following weekend it was back with a vengeance. Saturday, Sunday and Monday featured body aches and fever followed by three days of congestion. Again, I'm thinking my immune system is so strong that I've "knocked it out". I never even considered H1N1 because my fever never got much over 101.

During each episode, I was careful to avoid meetings/people until I had been fever-free for at least 24 hours. I did have several hard weeks of work and I really thought that the reason I felt so EXHAUSTED was work!

Last weekend, I walked with Ed and Hope in the Komen Race for the Cure, we all went to a black tie event Saturday night. I felt fine. Brady & Jeff came over on Sunday morning and we did a bunch of stuff and I felt fine. Then Sunday evening I knew something was wrong, but it was different the third time around.

By Monday morning I was really ill. High fever and just feeling terrible. Went to Doctor on Tuesday morning with fever of 102.3 ... they ran a "swab test" and told me I tested positive for Type A Influenza and that they weren't testing for H1N1 any more because the test took too long and the CDC has said that almost every case of Type A is actually SWINE.

They called in my Tamiflu prescription and told me to:

• go straight home and avoid contact "with any humans" until Monday
• alternate 2 Advil with 2 Tylenol every 6 hours and do not miss a dose
• try to rest.

I asked about Jerry and they said it was "too late for him". I'm amazed he hasn't gotten sick! I'm here at DAY FIVE and I do feel better, although I am no where near what I could call "well". I have high hopes that there will be a miracle over the weekend.

Jerry and I are headed to Galveston tomorrow morning to move everything around in preparation for roof replacement on our building starting Monday. Yes, we still have missing exterior walls downstairs.

So there you have it. If you suddenly feel ill and start running a temperature, go to the doctor and get your Tamiflu. It will help you feel better, but it's not a cure-all.

Through the Eyes of a Child

Last Sunday, Jeff and Brady came over to visit Grandpa and GrrrNan. We had a big time! Brady demonstrated his modified "downward dog" pose that he practices each day with Jeff.

He played "ticka ticka" with Elvis, before El lost patience with the whole situation.

And, being a Brewer boy, he made his first visit to a sports bar! Champps Americana welcomes kids and we were there VERY EARLY ~ before the football aficionados arrived.

Next stop was the Galleria. We walked into the mall over by Nordstrom and Brady looked up and said ... "WOW!"

My sentiments, exactly!

He LOVED the little kiosk displaying the battery operated, barking/meowing/squeaking stuffed animals. He REALLY loved the Adidas store, where he bought a new ball and encountered mannequins for the first time. After some convincing, he agreed to stand near them but remained a little leery.

The Build-A-Bear Workshop was a HUGE source of entertainment, even though we did not purchase a bear. It was fascinating to see all of the "bear parts" you can buy for large sums of money.

We shopped in Gymboree, while Brady sat in special kid chairs and watched a cartoon video. We rode escalators MANY MANY times. Then it was getting to be nap time. This photo was his last ride down the escalator & he was so tired, Jerry had to carry him!

And THEN, we went home and several hours later ... I got the swine flu!

Happy Birthday to Me!

... and Happy Anniversary, Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving ...

After 7.5 years of faithful service, Pathfinder II will be moving on to a new home and I'm the proud new owner of this shiny new RX350. Yes I know it's white with tan interior, just like the Pathfinder, but this SUV is very different!

Touch door locks & engine starter, bluetooth audio through the speaker system for cell phones (including wirelessly playing music from the iPhone), power cargo door & levers to automatically flatten the back seats, XM Radio and, as a bonus, mine came in with SOS (the Lexus version of OnStar) free for the first year! At closing, Jerry threw in the door ding & windshield coverage and then they threw in LoJack for free, although I assured them that I try to avoid areas of town where LoJack might be necessary.

Here are a few pictures of Jerry's newest investment ...

For those of you who are bored enough to keep reading, I have to share this story. Now there are people who get a new car every few years and then there are people like me who keep a car for about seven years (sometimes longer). My point is that "new car day" is kind of a big deal and should be savored.

Jerry and I had already decided to take Friday off and head to the beach, so when they called to say the car could be picked up Friday morning (even though I have to go back for window tinting & LoJack) I was very excited. I had carefully guarded Friday on my calendar ~ NO CLIENT MEETINGS ~ so I actually thought I could go get the new car and head to the beach on my first day off in many months.

Not so my friends. At 8:05 Thursday night, I receive an emergency email from a client asking for a 7:30am meeting on Friday. I said OK, 7:30 is fine. I can take the meeting and pack everything before leaving for the dealership at 9:30. Meeting goes great, I agree to "get the event plan to her later in the day" and we happily head off to the dealership.

It started about 10:15 ... the frantic phone calls and emails urgently requesting the planning document FIRST DISCUSSED at 7:30 that morning. It was needed IMMEDIATELY for a noon meeting with their client. Now we're in the early phase of what is supposed to be a great experience at the Lexus dealership. These people don't rush around ~ they understand you're spending a fortune and generally try to treat you like actual humans.

When the pace and tone of the client requests reached a peak, I responded with an email telling them that I was in a meeting that would last another 30 to 45 minutes and once I had finished and driven the 30 minutes back to "my office", I would get the document to them. Here's an example of how bad it was ... our nice salesman actually said to me ~ in a joking way ~ "quit texting your friends about your new car". Jerry had to tell him that I was trying to manage expectations of a demanding client.

So on the flip side, we're just moving into the little room to sign all the papers and it's 11:15. These people are trying to make this a good experience and my client has gone ballistic. I'm having a melt-down because all I wanted was ONE DAY. I just wanted THIS DAY ~ new car day ~ to not think about work. Selfish, I know.

The finance guy whipped out those documents in record time (there's no telling what we signed) and at this point I realized it was not physically possible for me to get this together before the client's noon meeting with their client because we hadn't even gone through "the lesson" on how to drive this car with all it's great new features. I sent another email to the client telling them there was no way to meet their deadline, how sorry I was and that I would get the document to them as soon as possible. No response.

After learning a few things about the car, we raced back to the house and then I realized that everything was packed up. It would take 15 minutes to get the computer running, an hour to pull the info together and then pack everything back up to leave for Galveston. So, on my first "new car day" in 7.5 years, Jerry drove the new RX350 to the beach (listening to the "All Elvis" station on XM radio) while I worked from the laptop on my client's project and emailed the document FROM THE CAR via my trusty AT&T air card.

The document was sent just before 2pm and, as of yet, I have not heard one word from the client. Nothing.

They may fire me on Tuesday (which could be of concern to the Toyota Motor Company), but I have a new rule. Never, ever take a meeting with a client on New Car Day!

First "Fall" Day

Denny has been waiting and waiting and waiting on a nice day to laze around outside on the back patio. August 31 we finally got a break in the hot weather and he wasted no time in finding a lounge chair!

Elvis, on the other hand, prefers to keep close watch on me while I work. That is when he's not too busy napping.